DESCRIPTION: The most prominent risks for injuries among health care workers are associated with the physically demanding tasks of lifting and transferring patients. The use of mechanical lifts can lower the physical demands but nursing personnel do no regularly use the devices even when they are available. This pre-post intervention study will focus on training acute care nursing personnel to recognize the need for using the devices and their correct use. Following 6 months of baseline data collection, the intervention will be implemented. The intervention will consist of provision of training sessions, periodic educational reminders and management encouragement to use the lift devices. The study will evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention using primary outcomes of symptom prevalence and severity, job satisfaction, reported psychosocial stressors, and reported and actual lift usage. Additionally, administrative records (workers' compensation records and OSHA logs) will be evaluated as secondary outcome measures. The study will also prospectively identify personal and work organization factors that predict musculoskeletal injury and musculoskeletal symptom and that limit the use of lift devices by nursing personnel. Pre-intervention data collection will include baseline musculoskeletal symptoms and job satisfaction survey, interviews to determine lift usage, and actual lift usage from counting devices on the lifts. Follow-up surveys will be used to collect symptoms and job satisfaction information approximately 12 months following completion of the training. Collection of data for reported and actual lift usage will be ongoing throughout the study period.